1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communications over a computer network. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems for enabling commerce over a computer network and especially over a packet-switched computer network, such as the Internet but not restricted to the Internet.
2. Background of the Invention
Two familiar features of the networked economy are “usernames” and “passwords.” In exchange for services, millions of consumers have opened virtual user accounts with many thousands of merchants connected to the network. For the sake of convenience, consumers frequently choose simple passwords that they can remember easily. As a result such passwords often provide only minimal security.
The manufacturers of new identity scanning devices promise to close this security hole. A consumer may choose from smart scanners, DNA scanners, voice scanners, and other devices that interface with the consumer's computer (i.e. are attached to the consumer's computer) and so provide information sufficient to confirm the consumer's identity to a remote third party. If you have such a device, then in theory you could identify yourself to any business connected to the network.
However, in practice it is not feasible for every merchant on the network to install software to communicate (remotely) with every such scanning device so as to be able to obtain the information from the scanning devices needed to verify the identity of consumers. Moreover, for reasons of safety and privacy it is not desirable for multiple merchants to be stockpiling the sensitive data these devices collect and transmit.
What is needed is a system by which the identity of a consumer can be verified for a merchant based on information from a scanning device attached to the consumer's computer, without the merchant having to provide software to obtain the information from the scanning device (since then every merchant would be compelled to have such software for possibly many different scanning devices.